1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is generally related to optical stress plates that are used for delaying optical wavefronts, and methods for making the same.
2. Related Art
Many semiconductor fabrication systems utilizes photolithography techniques in the fabrication of semiconductor wafers. During fabrication, one or more layers of circuit patterns are built up on a semiconductor wafer. This is accomplished by illuminating a reticle with light, where the reticle contains a desired circuit pattern. The resulting reticle image is then projected onto photosensitive resist that covers the semiconductor wafer. After a series of exposures and subsequent processing, a semiconductor wafer containing the desired circuit pattern is manufactured.
It is well known that the smallest feature that can be fabricated on the semiconductor wafer is limited to the optical wavelength of the light used in the illumination system. It is also well known that the upper limit on circuit clock speeds varies inversely with the size of the semiconductor features. Therefore, the demand for higher clock speeds necessitates that semiconductors have smaller circuit features. Circuit features of 0.25 .mu.m (micrometers) have been achieved with photolithography systems using light wavelengths of 193 m (nanometers). To achieve geometries below 0.25 .mu.m, even smaller wavelengths (e.g. 157 nm) must be used.
The illumination system used in photolithography includes various optical components that manipulate light to project a reticle image on the semiconductor wafer. One common component in the illumination system is an optical delay plate (also called a stress plate). Stress plates can be used to delay or retard a light wavefront by a specified amount. Stress plates can also be used to convert the polarization of light from one polarization to another. For example, a 1/4 (quarter) wave stress plate that is rotated 45 degrees to the incident light converts linearly polarized light to circularly polarized light and visa-versa. In another example, horizontally polarized light is converted to vertically polarized light by using a 1/4 wave stress plate and a mirror. This is done by transmitting the horizontally polarized light through the 1/4 wave stress plate to generate circularly polarized (CP) light. The CP light is then reflected off the mirror to reverse the CP polarization. Finally, the reflected CP light is sent back though the 1/4 wave stress plate to generate vertically polarized light.
In order for a stress plate to function as desired, it must be fabricated from a material that will transmit sufficient light at the wavelength of interest. Conventional stress plates are made of fused silica or man-made quartz. These conventional materials do not sufficiently transmit light at wavelengths that are below 193 nm. As stated above, the smallest feature that can be fabricated on the semiconductor wafer is limited to the optical wavelength of the light used in the system. As such, photolithography systems that utilize conventional stress plates can manufacture features that are no smaller than approximately 0.25 .mu.m. Therefore, what is needed is a stress plate that is functional at optical wavelengths that are below 193 nm (including 157 nm) to support the fabrication of semiconductor wafers having circuit features that are smaller than 0.25 .mu.m.